Peabody: Life, Friends Baseball

Journeyman Aaron Cook, he of no-stuff, limited the Ms to two hits, one of which was debate-able, and the Red Sox beat the Mariners 5-0. Hector Noesi pitched well for a bit and then decided the Red Sox needed some batting practice to snap out of their funk and gave up four home runs and a ringing double and the game was over. It was largely over after the first home run, though.

There are tons of things available to read today that are pertinent. Larry Larue, Dave Cameron, Jeff Sullivan wrote about themes on how the team home splits are now below the Mendoza line, which includes suggestions that it’s just not home runs but hits that are a problem. Links to all below.

Larry Larue’s theme is about the benchmark ineptitude of the players and sort of a first derivative on that was Jeff Sullivan’s piece in Lookoutlanding talking about sinker balls and by imputation the complete lack of adaptation on the part of the hitters, as if they’d never seen a sinker ball in their whole life. They’re both very good.

Cameron’s piece is more long term, as in this season rather than last night, in which he suggests that the root cause of the terrible hitting is the heavy, heavy air that is the hallmark of summer never having arrived to this point. He suggests that once the warm weather shows up, things will turn around.

There is a truth present in all three pieces, however. Whatever is going on, voodo or hexes, opposing teams are far better than the Mariners playing at Safeco. That would seem to be the thing operating here, more than anything. After the game Wedgie was at his firmest, saying the team had taken a step back and he was mad as hell…blah blah blah.

Here is the lineup he ran out there last night and how they have looked in June batting average in parentheses :

Ichiro (.273)
Wells (.361)
Seager (.204)
Montero (.244)
Smoak (.154)
Ackley (.207)
Jaso (.342)
Figgins (.208)
Ryan (.172)

Gutierrez is on 7 day dl due to concussion from taking shot to face and in response to that event the Mariners called up a pitcher, to cover Millwood’s nagging groin injury (poor guy) and Iwakuna’s big start on Monday. The best player on the team Michael Saunders was sick, so that’s what Wedge had to use.

It is easy to look at the numbers and see which of the kids are “developing” and which seem bent on destruction. Wedge has been threatening the ones bent on destruction that they need to adjust or somebody from the minors might be coming up to replace them. The adjustments need to be shown in the context of game play, but the work needs to occur daily prior to the game. As a chronicler of this team, Ackley and Smoak seem to be falling apart. In other words, no adjustments are showing up. Noesi, falls into this mess as well.

That said, to expect to compete with that lineup is silly.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/whats-going-on-at-safeco-field/#more-91195

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/06/30/2200124/how-low-can-mariners-go.html

http://www.lookoutlanding.com/

Larry Larue on Ichiro and Larry Stone on Ichiro. Reality versus fantasy:

First TNT’s Larue(edited, the link below you can read whole piece):

Mariners hold A’s to 2 hits, still lose game

There were only a couple of ways for Seattle Mariners fans to view their team’s 2-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday – and neither was favorable.

ELAINE THOMPSON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki strikes out with runners on first and second bases to end Wednesday’s game, a 2-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Ichiro also struck out with two runners on base in the second inning and finished 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.

LARRY LARUE The News Tribune
Published: 06/28/12 12:05 am Updated: 06/28/12 12:19 am

There were only a couple of ways for Seattle Mariners fans to view their team’s 2-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday – and neither was favorable.

….

Of what value is Ichiro Suzuki to a franchise clearly building around a young foundation?

To make it clear, Ichiro wasn’t alone in losing this game. His fifth-inning single pushed a mini-hitting streak to eight games and was one of the four hits Seattle managed.

…

Which brought the game back to Ichiro.

The Mariners squandered a point-blank shot at seizing control of the game when Oakland’s Parker inexplicably walked Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan with two outs in the second inning.

Jaso had already homered. Ichiro came to the plate with the chance to give his team the lead with a single.

Icihro struck out, swinging wildly at a high fastball.

“Our kids have to make adjustments,” Wedge said. “Our veterans have to do more.”

In the eighth inning, Kyle Seager doubled with one out, but neither Jesus Montero nor Michael Saunders could push him home. That took the game to the ninth.

With closer Ryan Cook pitching for the Athletics, the Mariners got a huge break when Smoak’s hard ground ball went through the legs of third baseman Brandon Inge.

With two outs, Cook hit the No. 9 batter in the Mariners’ lineup, shortstop Ryan, who is batting .180.

And there it was. Two men on, two outs, Ichiro at the plate.

Cook threw four pitches. Ichiro swung at and missed three of them.

Even Ichiro’s fifth-inning single with one out felt empty. On first base in a tie game, he had the green light to run if he wanted. Ichiro didn’t. Not with one out. Not with two.

At 38, Ichiro is the most senior of the Mariners. At $18 million this season, he is their highest-paid position player. After batting a career-low .271 a year ago, he’s at .276 today.

After games like this – Seattle’s 45th loss of the year – it’s not hard to ask what Ichiro’s value is to a last-place team.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/06/28/2197273/mariners-hold-as-to-2-hits-still.html

Then Larry Stone:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thehotstoneleague/2018545149_a_look_at_ichiro_and_time_off.html#continue

I don’t want to even put it in here, bad analysis, link you can read.

Sunday’s game players plus slash line and OPS:
I Suzuki RF .273 .301 .380 .681
J Jaso C .260 .368 .423 .791
b-M Olivo PH-C .209 225 .381 .606
C Wells LF .284 .354 .432 .786
c-KSeager PH-3B .262 .320 .464 .784
J Smoak 1B .214 .275 .354 .629
M Saunders CF .267 .331 .445 .776
D Ackley 2B .243 .319 .338 .657
C Figgins 3B-LF .191 .252 .290 .542
B Ryan SS .181 .284 .280 .564

The only guys that can hit are Wells and Saunders. Seager pinch hit and got a double. You can’t win at all with that. Three young guys and six veterans, with over 1,000 plate appearances. The veterans all suck mostly.

I Suzuki RF .273 .300 .378 .678
F Gutierrez CF .286 .342 .486 .828
K Seager 3B .258 .315 .457 .767
J Montero DH .263 .301 .406 .707
J Smoak 1B .212 .275 .350 .625
C Figgins PR .191 .252 .290 .542
M Saunders LF .267 .330 .442 .772
M Olivo C .211 .228 .380 .608
D Ackley 2B .244 .319 .338 .657
B Ryan SS .179 .282 .277 .559
a-J Jaso PH .257 .365 .419 .784
M Kawasaki SS
E Ramirez P

Five veterans and four kids. Can’t win with those guys, contracts or not they are not going to get better. The last number is the OPS. .700-.800 is ok to border of good, .800-.900 is kind of good to real good. .900 to beyond is some kind of great. .600-.700 is crap to ok, .500-.600 you’re way over-matched or headed south and done. Gutierrez bears watching.

If those five or veterans were real good players aside the young guys, the young guys would be playing without as much pressure. If this were pre-Marvin Miller all of those veterans would have been released last year. They suck mostly.

Saturday Felix Hernandez pitched well against the Padres and the team won 5-1. Sunday the Mariners lost 2-0, despite getting good starting pitching from Hector Noesi. Tonight Erasmo Ramirez pitched a gem for eight innings: 8IP, 3 hits, 1ER, 1BB, 10Ks. he was pulled for the top of the ninth and Tom Wilhelmsen. Nothing doing in the bottom of the ninth.

In the last three games back to Saturday the team’s starting right fielder, first baseman, center fielder and catcher; i.e. Ichiro, Gutie, Smoak and Olivo have not driven in a run, have had a couple of hits and walks and Smoak has the only run scored amongst them. It is not unreasonable to expect functional leadership to be centered amongst your veterans. Functional leadership would not be rah rah stuff or make sure you’re quiet in the clubhouse after a loss, bs stuff really, but no,get the team some big hits, home runs, doubles, rbis are not happening from those guys. Veterans, corner guys, center fielder and right fielder who are squatting on positions due to contracts or politics from trades.

It is not any coincidence with Gutierrez and Ichiro playing with other guys stacked up here to Tacoma representing the future that Saunders and now Wells struggle with this idiotic rotation to make sure the old guys play.

It’s not the same thing but it feels like that old baseball movie, “Major League”. That movie the owner is a villainous viper intent on moving the team. This thing is about annual financial performance and bonuses and maximizing franchise value for sale. More of the same.

Lots of criticism of the “rebuild” due to no money on free agents. The real question is how much would it cost to go and get free agents to play in right field, first base and left field? The second question is there any free agents this winter that could bat third, fourth and fifth? Would they have to over pay? Would anybody come?

Right now with this ownership structure, it’s doubtful.

Today in the Times Geoff Baker continues down a path that he has marched since last fall. It is an ongoing series on the value of the Mariner’s franchise primarily. At times during the effort it has seemed to me as if he has lost sight of stuff and headed out into the swamp, but he is dogged and mostly picks the trail up again.

Today he has another post that I will link and copy as well. It is considered bad form to copy, but it is so important to read this as it really captures what is going on with the ownership and you start to understand why the team is and has not been very good for a long time. Simply, put baseball, winning baseball is not really their consideration and has not been as long as they’ve been here.

Pending sale of Padres could drive Mariners franchise value up beyond $800 million

Posted by Geoff Baker

mariners.jpg

We’re done with another season of interleague play in which the American League once again throttled the National League in an annual series of unbalanced-schedule contests that seem to prove less and less meaningful each year. Unlike previous seasons, the Mariners were unable to use their schedule against the weaker NL to pad their overall record, finishing below .500 for the first time in 13 years.

For me, the only thing interesting to emerge from the Padres series over the weekend — other than Ichiro finally starting to hit a bit — was news that two bidders in the pending sale of the San Diego franchise have put up $800 million offers for the club. That’s huge news if you happen to be an owner or part-owner of the Mariners.

You’ll remember that we spent much of the winter filling you in on the news that, despite continued payroll cuts designed to keep the M’s books balanced on a yearly basis, the projected value of the franchise keeps skyrocketing. And the eventual value of the team is projected to go much higher than the $585 million that Forbes recently placed on it in the second-highest jump by any MLB team from its 2011 valuation by that magazine.

Not that this is news to Times readers.

You might remember that, when we covered the Chris Larson divorce trial last December, two experts in franchise valuations placed the worth of the Mariners at somewhere between $551 million and $750 million. The expert hired by Larson himself came in on the low end, while the one retained by his ex-wife, Julia Calhoun, offered up the high end figure.

The judge in the case eventually settled on a $641 million valuation for purposes of the divorce settlement.

But now, events in the real world outside of the courtroom are on-pace to blow those figures out of the water. And the Mariners could wind up topping that $800-million figure thrown around in regards to the Padres.

Photo Credit: AP

One thing that has to be understood throughout any attempt to place estimates on a team’s value is the increasing demand for owners to renegotiate new regional sports network (RSN) television deals. The Mariners can opt out of their deal with ROOT Sports by 2015 and can actually begin new negotiations any day now — if they haven’t already — because such contracts need to be finalized well ahead of their actual start dates.

Thus, the Mariners are sitting on a huge financial windfall. Industry sources have repeatedly suggested to me that the team’s current deal is already more lucrative than the oft-reported 10-year, $450-million figure that’s been tossed around for years. Network executives and team officials do their utmost to keep such figures secret, so there’s no telling how much higher any new deal will go from what’s already been reported. Three times more? Four times? We’ll see.

But the one thing you got out of the Larson divorce case — and which industry experts are pretty consistent about — is that the Mariners are worth more than the Padres.

Mary Ann Travers of Crowe Horwath LLP, the appraisal expert hired by Larson, came in with the low-end figure at trial but still conceeded the Mariners were still worth somewhere between the $480 million the Padres sold for in 2009 and the $593 million fetched by the Texas Rangers in 2010.

Don Erickson, of Erickson Partners LLC, the franchise valuation expert hired by Calhoun, argued that the Mariners compared more favorably to the recent $610-million sale of the Houston Astros, as well as the $593-million Rangers sale. In other words, well above the Padres.

And King County Superior Court Judge William Downing agreed with Erickson, stating in his ruling that: “The Court has reviewed the details of transactions involving the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. The Court would find the May 2011 Astros transaction and the December 2010 Rangers transaction to be the best comparables due to their recency, similar attendance and other factors. The Seattle Mariners’ on-field performance probably slides in between the two but, from a business point of view, they enjoy a superior demographic.”

So, no one is arguing that the Mariners were worth more than the Padres.

What’s happened since?

The recently-completed $2.15-billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for one. A deal in which the value of the team’s upcoming TV deal played a huge role. The Dodgers TV rights are up for renewal after 2013 and the new owners can potentially launch a new RSN of their own or leverage the value of it to drive their rights fees sky high.

This is a boom period for baseball franchises and the ones lucky enough to have TV deals up for renewal are those who will cash in while the getting is good.

The Padres sale is said to involve roughy a $600-million pricetag for the team itself, plus an additional $200 million for an ownership stake in the team’s new $1.2-billion TV deal with FOX.

Now, again, just because the Padres are getting this sale price doesn’t automatically mean the Mariners will get more.

But in theory, as long as the Mariners don’t mess things up, they should be able to get more in any pending sale if everything remains equal.

In other words, don’t start racking up yearly deficits and continue to maintain the best debt load of any team in the majors. Keep shedding the salaries of pricey veterans like Ichiro this year, with Milton Bradley and Jack Wilson being dumped last year. Wait for Chone Figgins to run out next year.

Your attendance might drop in the interim as fans tire of seasons of 90+ losses.

But as long as the bottom line remains free of red ink — and remember, the M’s would have turned a profit last year had they not put in new scoreboards as a Safeco Field upgrade — the M’s look to be perfectly positioned to reap big money in any sale. Sure, the TV numbers are not as big as they could be if the M’s were to say, contend for something. But it’s not as if the Padres are doing anything big on the field, either. And their revenues are not very strong at the moment.

All things being equal, from what the experts have already said, the Mariners should be worth more than the Padres. And right now, the Padres are said to be worth $800 million.

That’s a hefty increase — in terms of sports franchise growth — from the initial $100 million purchase price Hiroshi Yamauchi, Chris Larson and company, first paid for the Mariners back in 1992. Even when you factor in the additional $112 million that Larson testified the owners have had to shell out in addition to their initial costs.

Remember, this isn’t a mutual fund. It’s owning a sports team and all the tax breaks and prestige that comes with it. So, we don’t calculate return on investment as we would a mutual fund over 20 years — and those haven’t been so hot lately, in any event.

What does this mean to the team and its long-suffering fans?

Well, it might help explain why the Mariners continue to avoid pricey free agents in favor of the longer, slower rebuild. Unlike the Angels, who keep spending and rebuiding on-the-fly with youth like Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Peter Bourjos and others.

In the longer run, the value of renewed TV rights might provide the cash windfall this current owner group seems willing to wait for. Maybe it eventually lets the team offer a contract extension to Felix Hernandez by the 2014 season. Or, maybe a new owner willing to pay such a large amount for the team will secure an ownership stake in any new TV deal and use the cash influx from that to re-invest in the team.

Whatever the result, don’t let anyone convince you of the myth that the Mariners are a “small market” team and poor. You don’t make your money owning sports teams on a year-by-year basis. You make it when you cash out. If they want to, the M’s owners are poised to cash-out big and can sell when they want to.

Remember, Larson tried to sell a 10 percent stake in the team three years ago. The only reason he didn’t was because he didn’t like the valuation of his shares and chose not to sell. He’s free to go ahead and sell right now if he wants to and should get a much better price.

It won’t change anything regarding the team this season. But better to be informed about what’s really going on when somebody tells you about rebuilding “the right way” and that the Mariners have no choice but to maintain the status quo.

There is always a choice. This is the one they’ve chosen. And not merely for on-field reasons.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2018525127_pending_sale_of_padres_could_d.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eb_UXDxUbs&feature=related

Let’s dance!

The Mariners have traded a number of pitchers recently. Jack Zduriencik moves, but you can go back and scrutinize the Randy Johnson trade for what it brought back and how he went on. You can look at the derivative move from that deal which was Freddie Garcia to Chicago for not much. He took the White Sox to a World Series victory.

Unlike the Ken Rosenthal puffery accompanied by Geoff Baker’s piece, the reality is you don’t get middle of the order batters back. If you are lucky you might get guys that play in the Major Leagues.

Let’s look at Cliff Lee, who’s been thrown around like he’s chopped liver. Here is the section of his Baseball Reference page that shows the trades in the last three years he’s been through. Bear in mind that he won the Cy Young award in 2008 for Cleveland:

• July 29, 2009: Traded by the Cleveland Indians with Ben Francisco to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jason Knapp (minors), Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson.
• December 16, 2009: Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Seattle Mariners for J.C. Ramirez (minors), Phillippe Aumont (minors) and Tyson Gillies (minors).
• July 9, 2010: Traded by the Seattle Mariners with Mark Lowe and cash to the Texas Rangers for Matthew Lawson (minors), Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Justin Smoak.

Smoak and Beavan have the most major league time of any of the players received as he’s moved from the trades from Cleveland to Philadelphia to Seattle to Texas.

None of them are very special or good. No all stars, no middle of the order hitters, it’s just one guy, but it dovetails with all the trades that the Mariners have effected in the last four years. Not one big time player yet in the whole thing. Maybe Montero, I hope.

As long as we’re talking about Felix to the Yankees, throw in Ackley and ask for Robinson Cano back and throw in Ichiro and maybe we can get Nick Swisher back.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t advocate that because its not the trade we’ll get.

Also in Rosenthal’s latest piece he started pitching trading Hultzen, Walker and Paxton for some hitters.

Here’s the thing, the hitters are here and getting better. Maybe after getting shed of Ichiro’s $18 million salary they can get a free agent first baseman that swings left handed and hits bombs. Its what I would do.

Yesterday on Softy Mahler’s show Jeff Nelson, former Mariner and Yankee pitcher with three or four World Series rings said that the only constant in the Mariner’s world during all of this terrible baseball has been Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong. He suggested they move on. Unless the team is sold, that is probably not going to happen.

I promised the review of pitchers today, but this is late, so a bonus discussion will ensue.

There has been such a radical decomposition in the team’s starting starting rotation over the last three years. The 2010 team may be the worst offensive team in modern baseball history, certainly since the designated hitter rule occurred. The 2011 team was marginally better and this year’s team quite a bit better offensively. But that is not what we’re looking at, but keep it lurking in the back of your mind, nonetheless.

The rotations I’m going to cite are not fictitious, but there is so little constancy due to incessant trading that it makes little sense to put stats up solely because part of the picture is a qualitative change that is recognizable just by name only. It does however put into focus the bonus topic. I will put up the five best parts of the rotation in each of those years, and while trades were made to bring in hitters, the 2012 rotation is the direct result of those trades so you can see what was given up.

So in 2010 here are the five with their OPS Against that year behind their name in (). Felix Hernandez (.585) Cy Young winner. Cliff Lee (.618) traded for a bag of elbows and doorknobs. Doug Fister (.698). Jason Vargas (.699). Ryan Rowland-Smith (.954) somewhere lost in the outback of the Cub’s system.

2011 arrives and we have Felix Hernandez (.660) much off his Cy Young pace due to a real bad September of 2011. Michael Pindea (.621) rookie traded for Jesus Montero in the subsequent winter. Doug Fister (.617) traded for Casper Wells, Charley Furbush, Chance Ruffin and Francisco Martinez on the dl in Jackson. Erik Bedard (.681) traded for Trayvon Robinson and Chih-Hsien Chiang. Jason Vargas (.712)

Through yesterday in 2012 we have Felix Hernandez (.712), Hector Noesi (.785), Kevin Millwood (.670), Blake Beavan (.861) and Jason Vargas (.753).

Felix and Vargas are in the rotation each of the years and each have very much worse stats than in 2010. Felix’s declination is noteworthy. Just to provide another data point his OPS Against in 2009 was .609, best in American League, just as in 2010. He was a Cy Young award winner arguably twice and now, well that’s not a discussion you can have. Its hard to say that a guy might have fallen that far, that fast without discussing injury, but if you look at his monthly splits in the end of 2011, he breaks down.

Vargas is a marginal pitcher that due to trades went from a four or five guy to a two and based on what passes for a two elsewhere it’s not so. That is an awkward way to describe a pitcher except to suggest that the expectation was as a two starter. Kevin Millwood the much traveled veteran is by far the Mariner’s best pitcher right now. Beavan has been replaced already and Noesi should have been, except nobody is ready.

There are lots of young pitchers due to arrive later this year and next year and I don’t want to even discuss that now. We’ll see. But now there has been such a severe diminution of talent in the last three seasons. Progress? I don’t think you can say that. Nothing like that.

In the last two days Ken Rosenthal has come trolling again saying that the Mariners should trade Felix to the Yankees. The first time he did this was on television on the MLB Network, in December of 2010 on a show with Al Leiter, but he pitched it as an actual dialog between the teams. The reaction was instantaneous. Leiter said he did not believe that was going on and no team would do that. That was confirmed by Jack Zduriencik in the next couple of days.

It came up last summer and again last winter. Today Geoff Baker wrote a strong affirmation piece to this as he did in winter of 2010. The pitch is we need to get some middle of the order bats too in return, that this is what good teams do. It’s on the Times site, I’m sure you can find it.

Rosenthal should be an early nominee for the make up of the year award, but we’ll see. No need to insult him, I just don’t see Zduriencik talking to him, so maybe Brian Cashman is? But there is probably a better way to look at this, although insulting him could become a fun pursuit.

The team has been trading pitching, pitching and more pitching. As far as I can tell the only two hitters received are Montero and Wells. Maybe Carp, but he’s hurt. I think you have to be suspect about Smoak and do you see any great big monster guys beyond that? Those guys are not monsters yet, couple of years out maybe, but I don’t see the big deal slugger out there. Kevin Youkilis? No thanks.

Umm, the other side to this is Felix, is not the same guy, based on the numbers, so maybe a trade is there, but you think a MLB team would think they’re getting the 2009-2010 Felix? Fastball’s off a whole bunch from then. I think its just a bunch of make up being passed around.

Dodgers and Yankees used ship failed prospects and worn out guys all over baseball. Don’t think the Mariners would be getting Cano back or even Granderson or Swisher. Really its what good teams do?

Last year at this time there was not much to say about team development, veteran’s play or team play. The team was in the midst of losing seventeen straight games or just about to do that. Very ugly either way.

Nobody on the team was playing well, except Ackley who had arrived on fire. Nobody.

Well now at this point a year later, several players are putting up respectable numbers and in some cases good numbers. Some players suck and that too is sad, young or old.

Perhaps the best way to think about this is to look at the division position by position and see where we rank. We can hope for the wild card but it is the best yardstick to see how far the team is from its rivals.

I want to put the best spin on this, so I have Big Jesus as if he’s the catcher, which will be the case long term and the other two guys are not that special, actually they’re bad. Offensively, the combination of Jaso an Big Jesus is the second best combo in the division, behind Texas.

At first base Justin Smoak is the fourth best first basemen using OPS. He is supposed to be better than this. We’ll see.

At third base Kyle Seager is the second best in the division behind ex-Mariner Adran Beltre. If he sustains the pace he is on now, he will drive in 100 runs. He’s ascending as player and projects to hit 50 doubles and 24 homers. That’s a huge move and very positive.

Brendan Ryan and Kawasaki can’t hit, Ryan can really pick it but he can’t hit for love nor money. Nick Franklin can and he’s in Tacoma and coming to Safeco sometime this summer.

Left field, between Carp being hurt and Figgins its a black hole. Could be better over second half.

Center field. I have Saunders as third in division behind Trout and Hamilton. Saunders is a great player actually and hopefully doesn’t get messed up due Gutierrez’s return.

Right Field, by far worst in division. Wells would be second in division.

Jaso for this exercise is the DH and he’s got the best OPS in the division.

I have an excel sheet if anybody wants it and I can send it to you.

It’s a huge uptick over the past two years. They are on a pace to score 690 runs, which is a big, huge increase over the past two years.

Pitchers tomorrow.

After the disaster that was last night’s game with Arizona, Root Sport’s baseball analyst Bill Krueger remarked that prior to the game, Hector Noesi after his outfield warm up he observed Noesi playing around, laughing and he thought that showed that Noesi was not prepared to pitch and had the wrong mindset before a game.

I know about this second hand because I was stuck in my car driving north towards Skagit County and turned on the car radio and tuned to 710 ESPN and was in time to listen to Deadwood and Salk’s show with guest speaker Shannon Drayer, also an employee of the radio station. She covers the Mariners as a pre-game and post-game reporter and writes a blog as well.

Salk asked her if she had witnessed the hi-jinks by Noesi and she said it was Montero too. Then she reached back to Noesi’s last start where he pitched well but lost and she said that Montero had been questioned about the game and she remarked that he said it was a “great game.”

Then she riffed on that and turned it into a youngster versus veteran thing, where Montero didn’t know that he was supposed to be pissed that the team lost. What’s lost here is that Montero could have been talking about how well Noesi pitched, the answer to which was very well.

To which I have to say really? Montero has more talent than any of the other catchers and will hit fourth or fifth for a long time here.

The other two catchers have enormous holes in their game and Olivo really can not receive without having a ball or two get by him each game. Catcher’s wear out and Olivo can throw, but for every guy he throws out, four or five base runners move over, whether it is scored a wild pitch or passed ball, that is not supposed to happen.

The last week or so Montero has looked so much better behind the plate, receiving and throwing. As a hitter he may be really good, he is adjusting and hitting pitches that he struggled with a month ago and that is a beautiful thing to watch.

Maybe Miguel and Drayer are good friends. She did not need to throw Montero under the bus. Back to Noesi too, Felix used to do that stuff too. I generally like what Krueger has to say, but I did not hear him last night.

When I watched Noesi, the only thing I notice beyond him leaving stuff in the middle of the plate is his arm speed is different on his secondary stuff and he looks like he’s throwing darts. He does not always do that, but when he does it is easy for hitters to figure out. He is young with a live arm and no experience. It is what you get.

Caspar Wells played right field last night and did very well. He was 2-4 with a double and drove in the only run of the game, Seager scoring on his double, only run of the game for the Mariners.

Tonight he is sitting. Ichiro has two doubles so far. Which means nothing.

Geoff Baker has a great post that I will link to and tell you it is the best thing from any mainstream writer yet. Steve Kelley has also commented recently in this vein, but this one is very good, because it touches a bunch of stuff:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/marinersblog/2018469475_time_for_mariners_to_start_tre.html